The Best Available MCAT Prep Course to Choose From
Choosing the best MCAT prep course is one of the most important steps you'll take on your path to medical school and becoming a doctor.
You'll be studying for many hours, so it's critical that you find the course that best suits your unique learning style. Nobody wants to waste hours, days, or weeks studying for nothing. Let's make certain you pass the MCAT the first time with flying colors to ace your application into med school.
That is why we have provided detailed comparison tables below to assist you in selecting the best MCAT prep courses.
Altius
Altius, which was founded more than a decade ago, provides one-on-one MCAT mentoring to help test takers prepare for their exams, as well as self-directed online study and group classes. Courses are designed to help students improve their critical thinking skills while also increasing their understanding of scientific principles that are essential for a career in medicine. All of the instructors have taken the MCAT and scored in the 95th to 100th percentile.
As an Altius student, you have access to support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's also worth noting that Altius analyzes the MCAT with FBI software to ensure that their practice tests have the same flow, font, and length as the real thing.
If you enroll in this program, be prepared for a grueling 10-week period: This Altius MCAT prep course includes 50-plus hours of MCAT study per week for ten weeks, and you'll be studying alongside some of the most dedicated pre-med students in the country.
Furthermore, according to independent data from TD Price and Associates, the average MCAT score of Altius students is 516.4, just above the 90th percentile. If you enroll in one of their mentored programs (Silver, Gold, or Platinum) and do not receive a 90th percentile or higher score, they will work with you until you do or refund your money.
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review provides a comprehensive MCAT prep course. The online, self-paced course costs $1499 and is available to students for a period of 12 months. The course includes thousands of free-standing and passage-based questions, all with detailed answer explanations.
The course also includes 16 full-length online practice tests and all of the AAMC's published material.
The detailed score reports used to gauge a student's progress are a cool feature of this prep course. The course includes diagnostic exams that assess a student's progress in each MCAT subject.
These diagnostic exams will save students time and allow them to concentrate on the subjects in which they need to improve. The 16 practice tests also include detailed score reports to assist students in focusing on the material with which they struggled the most.
The Princeton Review offers 500+ videos to help students learn the material, as well as 10 MCAT books. Three of the ten books are exclusive to Princeton Review students, while the remaining seven are subject-specific MCAT review books.
Blueprint
Blueprint provides the best live-online course, with over 40 hours of live class instruction (and unlimited class retakes for complicated content). A study planner tool, 160 learning modules, videos and animations, advanced analytics and explanations on questions you answered incorrectly, several full-length exams, question banks, six MCAT books, and over 10,000 total MCAT practice questions will be available in addition to the live classes.
The Blueprint live-online course allows for unlimited class rescheduling, giving you virtually unlimited flexibility. When you change a class time, your study planner tool automatically adjusts to your new schedule.
Another feature that distinguishes the Blueprint course from other live-online courses is its unique double lecturer format. Two MCAT expert instructors lead each live class, conversing rather than lecturing.
This program covers everything you'd expect to see in an MCAT prep course, but it combines live instruction with online resources in such a way that students are engaged from day one until exam day.
Blueprint claims that its courses raise MCAT scores by an average of 13 points, and the company offers a score increase guarantee or your money back, minus some fees.
Kaplan
Kaplan's MCAT prep course includes 16 practice tests as well as thousands of practice items. This course is entirely online and self-paced, with students having access to hundreds of videos to help them learn the material. Kaplan also offers 90+ livestreamed and on-demand teacher-led sessions on their MCAT channel.
The course includes eight MCAT prep books that are packed with tried-and-true strategies, science information, and more practice questions. Students gain access to the most official AAMC practice materials in addition to the books.
Kaplan's question bank adapts to your answers and knowledge level and builds out the questions based on your insights – this is a nice feature that helps students save time.
Overall, Kaplan has created an excellent course. It's a little pricey for only 5 months of access. The number of practice questions, practice tests, and adaptive learning styles is comparable to that of other courses. The access to AAMC materials and the included books are also a nice bonus. Kaplan does not provide a free trial period.